Introduction. Ethyl alcohol is a very popular intoxicant. When taken by a mother, it penetrates the fetus, adversely affecting its development. The most serious effect of drinking alcohol in pregnancy is the fetal alcohol syndrome. Aim of the study. The aim of the study is to assess the level of knowledge of Pomeranian High School students on the impact of alcohol on the developing fetus. Material and methods. The study was conducted from February to April 2018. The research material was a group of 246 students of Pomeranian secondary schools. The method involved a diagnostic survey using an authorship tool and questions; characterizing the demographic and social data of the respondents. The questionnaire consisted of 20 questions, including 19 closed and one open question. Results. The vast majority of respondents agreed with the statement that alcohol is harmful to the fetus (89.1%). School students are aware that there is no safe dose of alcohol that a pregnant woman can drink without harming her child (87.4%), however 43.1% of them do not know whether a pregnant woman can drink the so-called‘alcohol free’ beer. Conclusions. The student’s knowledge level of Pomeranian secondary schools on the impact of alcohol on the fetus is medium. Pupils attending classes thatare based on family life are more aware of the effects of alcohol consumption by pregnant women. Teachers and the Internet are the mainsources of knowledge concerning drinking alcohol during pregnancy.

Key words: alcohol, fetal alcohol syndrome, knowledge, pregnancy.